


Hold On

by seaweednoodles



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 08:29:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4739669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaweednoodles/pseuds/seaweednoodles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami meets Korra on the floor of her wedding reception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hold On

You lay beneath the stars, in Iroh’s truckbed. You’re holding his hand, tracing circles on his thumb. Crickets are chirping in the grass around you. It’s almost romantic. It’s too hot. The air, sticky. You sigh as you turn over, curling into Iroh’s side anyway. He snuggles you against him, you listen to his heart. The soft thud, rhythmic in its primal way. It comforts you. 

Absently, he rubs your arm. “We’re getting married tomorrow.” He whispers, turning his face to look at you. “It’s a good thing I asked you huh?” You ask, a grin on your face. 

“I got the ring! I was gonna do it.” Iroh pouts, taking his arm away to cross it over his chest. “Just choked at the last possible second! A… Asami, I’d be honored if you’d escort me to my coronation! Ring out, mid knee too. You weren’t even being coronated Iroh!” You laugh into his side, “I would have done it!” You giggle some more, “But you didn’t have to, I was brave enough for the both of us apparently!” 

He sniffs, “You’re lucky you’re cute… I love you, Asami.” You lean in, placing a kiss on his temple. Leaning your forehead on his, you whisper, “I love me too.” 

“Ugh! You drive me crazy! I’m gonna getcha!” He says and starts tickling your sides until eventually you’re both crying from laughter. Then he’s kissing you and you’re kissing him back. You pull at each other’s clothes, taking them from each other. A while later, you’re lying side by side again. Chests heaving together in tandem. Too warm as the night swallows you whole. 

\--

You clasp hands, his in yours, yours in his. You sway to the music, you’re head on his chest. Closing your eyes, you smile, gripping him harder. Happy. The song ends and you part, finding your way to the head table passing tired servers and sweaty dancing bodies. You want wine, need wine. Another reason to feel drunk. Somehow all the wine bottles at your table are empty. You frown and flag a tall server. Huh he looks like Iroh. He waves hurriedly to another server, they speak animatedly until the shorter server stomps on his foot with a huff, “Fine. I’ll take care of it.” You hear the girl whisper yell at him. You smile at the girl’s attitude. You look off onto the dance floor and see Iroh, laughing and dancing with his mother. Silently, and without warning, tears slip down your face as you think of your own mother. You turn sharply and grip the edge the table, trying and failing to reign in your sudden emotion.

You’re still crying silently to yourself when you feel a hand gently but firmly touch your shoulder, “Hey, hey. Are you alright? I… I brought you some wine! Four different kinds, Mrs… Mrs… uh uh ma’am.” You rubbed furiously at your eyes before turning around to face the server. “One of the most important weddings of the decade, and you don’t even know the bride’s name do you?” Your laugh dies in your throat as you catch sight of the server. “I…I – I’m sorry. I’m just covering for my friend tonight, I’m not even a server actually! I just own a little tea shop in Republic City’s Southside. It’s actually an old fire house, but I reclaimed it, fixed it up and set up shop! It’s pretty cute, at least I think so. So do the regulars, at least I think they do?” The server is rambling, you smile despite yourself. “Is your friend okay?”

“My friend?” 

“The one you’re covering for?”

“Oh! Oh, yeah… yeah uh he went to see about a girl.” The server scratches the back of her neck nervously. You feel the need to put her at ease, you want her to feel comfortable. “What’s your name?” Her eyes widen at the question. “I uh, K… Korra.” You touch her shoulder, feeling contained muscle beneath her serving shirt. “You’re not in trouble, Korra. Quite the opposite in fact. I want you to dance with me. Dance with me, will you?” You feel Korra tremble beneath your hand, it sends shivers throughout your own body and sets your heart racing. 

“I… I don’t --” 

“Please.” You choke on the word, your hand still on Korra’s shoulder.

“I wasn’t saying no, even though I feel like I should be.” She swallows. “I can’t say no to you. I don’t wanna say no to you.”

“So don’t.” Korra looks you in the eye, her blue eyes searching. Finally Korra takes your hand on her shoulder, leading you to the dance floor. All at once you know why Korra objected. She has no idea how to dance. You giggle and take the lead from her. “Here, like this.” Korra’s staring at the floor, at her feet, trying her best not to step on you. “Korra.” You say, trying to get her attention. “Yeah?” She says still looking at her feet. “Korra, look at me.” You tilt her head towards you with your hand, “Just listen to my voice, flow with music Korra, move with me, go where I go.” You dance close together for awhile, Korra stepping on you more than a few times. You don’t care, her eyes never leave your face. You can feel Korra’s breath on you and suddenly you feel too hot. Then Korra’s tilting her head, asking you something. “Before at the table, you were crying. Why?” You feel yourself tense, Korra must feel it too but she says nothing. “I… I was remembering someone. Someone I care about a lot.” Korra pulls you in for a hug, it surprises you, but you hug her back. She pulls back, “Your husband’s looking for you, Mrs. Asami.” Korra gestures with her head behind you, a strange look on her face. You turn to see Iroh is indeed searching the room for you. You turn back around to find Korra already gone. The air still warm and frenetic where she stood. 

Iroh’s found you and you’re dancing together again. It doesn’t feel the same, nothing about this feels the same. He’s spinning you in circles and circles, until your vision blurs. He stops and your eyes lock with Korra’s. She sitting at the server’s table with another server, a younger girl with short hair and brown eyes. Iroh’s not spinning you anymore, but your vision blurs for a different reason this time. You watch the other server grab Korra’s hand and pull her on to the dance floor. They’re dancing, neither of them in beat with the music or to the music. The other girl is holding Korra’s hands and they’re both spinning in circles. They knock into each other and laugh their way back to their table. You tear your eyes away and pull Iroh closer, he drops a kiss on top of your head. You dance more until he pulls back to kiss you, you kiss him back until you both hear wolf whistles throughout the room. Leaning on his chest, you find Korra’s eyes across the room again. She’s looking at you now. She’s also chugging a bottle of wine. Her eyes red. She takes another swig, as if she’s challenging you. You avert your gaze, you don't feel brave. Not enough.

The tall server from earlier walks up to her, they speak. Quietly this time. He pulls Korra up, his hands under her armpits. Then he’s talking to other girl, handing her a pair of keys. The other girl nods, and puts an arm around Korra to steady her as she walks them towards an exit. 

This is it. You think to yourself. After tonight, you’ll never see her again. You watch, still clutched to Iroh, as she and the other girl walk through the exit. You feel bile rise in your throat but you swallow it back down and fight the tears threatening to spill. You feel Iroh lean down to whisper in your ear, “So tell me how all this, and love too, will ruin us.” A line from Scheherazade, a favorite poem of yours. You bury your face in his chest, you can’t look at him. “Tell me we’ll never get used to it.” The tears come anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> please don't kill me. i read a poem on tumblr by inkskinned. and i thought of these two of course, i also stayed up way too late writing this and watching star wars rebels.
> 
> sorwey.
> 
> dis was the poem:  
> "when i was seven i watched my aunt marry a  
> man she didn't love. i got to throw flowers at their feet.  
> her dress was lovely. at eleven, i watched the divorce of my  
> best friend's parents. she said that a disease had come to live in  
> the house, and now it was living in her, too. 
> 
> my mother asks me why my five-year plan shows no signs of  
> wedding. how do i explain to her that the idea  
> is needles in my throat.
> 
> i have a terrible fear that on my wedding day i will be happy and  
> and gliding along when on the floor of our reception,  
> i will meet my real soulmate." -inkskinned


End file.
